I was searching the interwebs for Raptors news and came across a tidbit about the Rochester Razorshark’s that play in the Premier Basketball League (wiki). They’re 16-0, beat every opponent in a blowout, and have a head coach that likens himself to John Calipari.
The franchise appears to be soundly run, has a committed owner, and even has something resembling a fan base. The glowing state of this franchise apparently has the Raptors interested:
The Toronto Raptors would love for Rochester to be its NBA Developmental League affiliate. But pay a nearly $6 million franchise fee? Give up his autonomy? Dr. Sev has a much more economically sane and personally gratifying goal: Stay the course. Keep trying to build the PBL. And keep winning.
Spon, a Pennsylvania native who is honored to be coaching a team his friend and peer Rod Baker (four titles in seven seasons) established, hopes to put some roots down and keep giving Rochester basketball fans a great show. The D-League isn’t his goal, he said, it’s to be as good as D-League teams. And maybe his RazorSharks already are.
The Raptors currently share the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with about 15 other NBA teams, which makes playing time for players sent down rather difficult to come by (though, Lucas Nogueira’s stint was far more successful than Bruno Caboclo’s). Having an affiliate across Lake Ontario would be highly convenient, but it appears that the Razorshark owner has different aspirations. And a $6M franchise fee? Man, I thought the franchise fee for a Tim Hortons was high, but this blows it out of the water.
At least the Raptors are thinking along the right lines. They need a D-League affiliate if they plan to draft in the teens/20s while trying to compete, because it’s on those types of teams where young players need the most exposure, and the D-League, unlike the summer league, is a perfect stage with guys looking to impress within the context of a team.
